So curious that the minister of education has the political will to yank funding from a school that misuses public dollars but fails to do the same productive activity with schools that are anti-LGBT. Why the double standard for the politician? I'm guessing the Minister doesn't want to stir the troubled waters of religious schools and start up more protests. He's not got the stomach to deal with these rebellious schools but can lay the rules out quite clearly to a home school. So odd. Maybe it is simply an easier target? Maybe this is a warning to the non-homeschooling schools? Who knows? It's so wacky in Alberta these days. Even more wacky then when we had the Tories around. I sign the petition here and leave a comment:https://www.change.org/p/david-eggen-all-albertan-kids-deserve-safety-at-school-unfund-the-meadow-harvest-baptist-academy

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Two weeks ago Albertan Education Minister David Eggen penned a letter saying LGBTQ2+ students had a right to feel safe in their school. The letter was widely shared and many members of the LGBTQ2+ community publicly expressed appreciation to the Minister for his support. Now it is time for Minister Eggen to walk his talk.

Pastor Brian Coldwell, chair of the Independent Baptist Christian Education Society which runs the Meadow Baptist Academy and Harvest Baptist Academy in rural Parkland County – when speaking on new LGBTQ2+ policies and requirements in the Albertan education system recently told CBC: "There is no way under heaven I'm going to allow gay activists to come in here and basically undermine our ministries and our religious freedoms or confuse and corrupt our children."

If schools that receive Albertan education funding dollars do not want to follow the law – they should not continue to be funded by the taxpayer, obviously. Tax money is not meant to subsidize spaces that make LGBTQ2+ students unsafe. Every student has a right to attend school in a safespace, Brian Coldwell has repeatedly demonstrated in public he is incapable of providing that - including during a bizarre interview on Ryan Jespersen's radio show a few weeks ago where he discussed ex-gay "Pray the Gay away" conversion techniques which can cause irreversible psychological damage and amounts to child abuse.

The Independent Baptist Christian Education Society receives between 60-70% of its instructional funding from the Government of Alberta, according to CBC. The Independent Baptist Christian Academy has received nearly $4,500,000 in taxpayer money since 2010-2011, according to Progress Alberta.

We want action now – any children undergoing irreversible psychological damage from pray the gay away techniques or similar conversion therapies, cannot wait any longer. Any student contemplating suicide for being legally obligated to show up every weekday to a school where they feel unsafe, cannot wait any longer. Any Trans student terrified to vocalize their truth because they know their school Administration helped to organize the Anti-Trans’ rights rally at the legislature a few months ago, cannot wait any longer. We have no more time to wait, now is the time for action - now is the time for the Minister to walk his talk.

Sign this petition if you think schools who refuse to follow public rules should not receive any public dollars, and phone Education Minister David Eggen at 780-427-5010 to let him know you want immediate action on the schools being subsidized to make children unsafe.

If the David Eggen can yank the public funds from a home school that misuses public funds, he can jolly well yank the funds from schools that don't obey his directives and fail to have LGBTQ policies in place. Why is there different consequences for failures to do the work required?

The NDP need to live their values and keep all kids safe in school. Or is the minister and the NDP folks more interested in the money than the kids?

Alberta Education Asked To Cut Funding To Anti-LGBT Schools: Petition

Posted: 09/01/2016 4:25 pm EDT Updated: 09/01/2016 4:59 pm EDT

Comment25

Advocates are calling for the Alberta government to stop funding a private school board that refuses to support LGBTQ students.

The Alberta government has mandated that all schools must allow students to create gay-straight alliances, andenact policies to support LGBTQ students. But Pastor Brian Coldwell says he has no intention of doing either.

Coldwell is a chair on the board of the Independent Baptist Christian Education Society, which runs two schools: Meadow Baptist Academy and Harvest Baptist Academy, both located west of Edmonton.

The pastor told CBC News: "There is no way under heaven I'm going to allow gay activists to come in here and basicallyundermine our ministries and our religious freedoms or confuse and corrupt our children."

Coldwell also appeared on 630 CHED's The Ryan Jesperson Show, where he supported attempts to use prayer to convert gay students to being straight.

Both schools have received nearly $4.5 million inpublic funds since 2010, according to Progress Alberta.

"Tax money is not meant to subsidize spaces that make LGBTQ2+ students unsafe."

"As a society, we have decided certain rules are going to be implemented in order to ensure thatLGBTQ students are safe at the schools that they we legally obligate them to show up to," Beninger told Metro News.

Liberal Leader David Swannhas also urged the government to pull funding from the two schools.

David Eggen's homeschool closure unfair to parents

John Carpay

Friday, October 28, 2016, 7:52 PM

Alberta Education Minister David Eggen speaks about his department's closure of Trinity Christian School Association during a press conference at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton, Alberta on Tuesday, October 25, 2016. Ian Kucerak / Postmedia

article

If a public school appeared to have mismanaged some of its money, but was providing a good education for its students, would Alberta Education Minister David Eggen shut the school down? Without warning? In the middle of the semester? Not likely.

Even if the school had only 300 students, or fewer, Minister Eggen would not inconvenience those parents, students and teachers.

Yet this is exactly what Minister Eggen has done to Trinity Christian School, which has over 3,500 students. Without warning, in the middle of the semester, Minister Eggen informed Trinity on October 25th that its accreditation and funding were withdrawn, effective immediately. The parents of these 3,500 Trinity kids are suddenly without a school for their children.

Trinity is not a regular public school. Rather, Trinity supervises home schooling for over 3,500 students across Alberta, through the Wisdom Home Schooling Society. This non-profit Society has been providing resources to parents for over 20 years, with the full knowledge and approval of Alberta Education. There is no secrecy here. The Society serves parents who educate their children at home, at a fraction of what it costs taxpayers for Alberta’s public schools. Public schools in Alberta cost taxpayers about $10,000 per student per year, in contrast to a home-schooling grant of less than $1,700 per student per year. The Minister claims to shut down Trinity “out of respect for taxpayers.” This is rather laughable: if these 3,500 students go to public schools, it will cost taxpayers an extra $29 million per year.

Money aside, home schooling is a good option for many parents and children, for many different reasons. Alberta and other provinces have generally respected the freedom of parents to choose home schooling as the kind of education that they think is best for their own children. This accords with both the International Declaration of Human Rights and Canada’s legal obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Alberta Education accuses Trinity of not meeting accountability standards, including financial accountability. In the absence of problems with kids learning what they are supposed to learn, why address financial accountability issues by shutting down the school entirely? Why not put Trinity and the Society on probation? Why not appoint an auditor as interim manager for the remainder of the school year, so 3,500 children can continue learning without interruption?

Since the government’s October 25 announcement, parents are quickly discovering that other boards are not able to take on new students. Budgets were set, teachers were hired, and decisions were made, in August and September. Yet Alberta Education now states that it “feels” that other school authorities “should” be able to absorb all 3,500 home-educated students.

This past summer, Alberta Education was fully aware of the fact that the Society was providing the home-schooling services to parents, rather than Trinity doing this itself. If this was truly a problem (as is now claimed), the government could have shut down Trinity and the Society in July. Instead, the government told Trinity to continue with business as usual. Shutting down a school in late October, based on reasons of which the government was aware in July, is a shocking abuse of power.

David Eggen loves to trumpet his commitment to a “welcoming, caring, respectful and safe” learning environment. But closing Trinity’s doors is not welcoming. Abruptly terminating students’ education is not caring. Imposing an extreme measure when reasonable alternatives are available is not respectful. And sending 3,500 students to look for placements which don’t exist isn’t safe.

Unless this decision to shut down Trinity is actually a stealth attack on home-schooling, it makes no sense for Minister Eggen to proceed further with this aggressive and unnecessary decision. He has the power to reverse it, and should do so.

Calgary lawyer John Carpay is president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (www.jccf.ca)

David Eggen's homeschool closure unfair to parents

If a public school appeared to have mismanaged some of its money, but was providing a good education for its students, would Alberta Education Minister David Eggen shut the school down? Without warning? In the middle of the…

EDMONTONSUN.COM

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Julie Ali

Julie Ali The NDP shut down this school possibly because they didn't shut down the other schools. Minister looked weak for not acting before and now he is trying to repair the damage. That's just the way politicians are. Instead of doing the right thing they delay hoping that these decisions that are hard and right won't have to be made because folks who don't like LGBTQ kids won't change their minds. The fact is the minister failed the LGBTQ kids and he is now failing the homeschool kids.

If a public school appeared to have mismanaged some of its money, but was providing a good education for its students, would Alberta Education Minister David Eggen shut the school down? Without warning? In the middle of the…

Comments

Julie Ali The NDP shut down this school possibly because they didn't shut down the other schools. Minister looked weak for not acting before and now he is trying to repair the damage. That's just the way politicians are. Instead of doing the right thing they delay hoping that these decisions that are hard and right won't have to be made because folks who don't like LGBTQ kids won't change their minds. The fact is the minister failed the LGBTQ kids and he is now failing the homeschool kids.

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Slick Water

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March for our Lives

How is one reborn after a fall? by Muriel Barbery

14. From Passageway to Pathway

What is this war we are waging, when defeat is so certain? Day after day, already wearied by the constant onslaught, we face our terror of the everyday, the endless passageway that, in the end--because we have spent so much time walking to and fro between its walls---will become a destiny. Yes, my angel, that is our everyday existence:dreary, empty, and mired deep in troubles. The pathways of hell are hardy foreign; we shall end up there one day if we tarry too long. From passageway to pathway; it is an easy fall, without shock or surprises. Every day we are reacquainted with the sadness of the passageway and step by step we clear the path towards our mournful doom.Did he see the pathways? How is one reborn after a fall? What new pupils restore sight to scorched eyes? Where does war begin, where does combat end?